Sippican School air quality tests set for March 11
A team of inspectors from the state will evaluate the air quality inside Sippican School on March 11 following complaints from several staff members.
At the School Committee’s March 2 meeting, Facilities Manager Gene Jones said the inspectors will arrive at 10:30 a.m. and spend the day investigating halls, classrooms and vents.
“They’ll be on the roof, everywhere,” Jones said.
In February, Nicole Boussy, the Teacher’s Association president and member of the Health and Safety Committee, told the board that staff were suffering from headaches, breathing difficulties and other issues due to mold.
“I have seen a teacher cough up blood due to poor air quality,” Boussy said at the time.
Michael Feeney, the director of the Bureau of Environmental Health’s Indoor Air Quality program, will lead the team conducting the investigation.
Jones said Feeney will provide results at either the committee’s April or May meeting.
Superintendent Doug White said a representative from the Teacher’s Association will be on hand during the team’s visit.
“At least they’ll see what they’ve done and where they’ve gone,” White said.
Committee Chair Christine Marcolini said the team should be thorough with their investigation.
“The building isn’t huge. I hope they would do every room,” she said. “I would hate for them to miss a room here or there and for there to be questions later.”
Concerns were raised last year about the air in one wing on the school’s first floor. In response, Jones had tests performed that he said showed no serious problems, but steps were taken to improve the air quality, such as bringing in a scrubber to clear the air.
The results of another recent test showed that mold levels were below the threshold that generally cause symptoms in individuals.
However, Boussy said that health problems some staff were experiencing proved that action must be taken, for the sake of staff and students.
Marcolini thanked Jones for addressing the problem.
“We appreciate that it’s happening so quickly,” she said. “We look forward to hearing the results.”